“Successful people always have their imitators. Pretenders who try to make money or achieve notoriety on the backs of others. Whether it’s Elvis, a rock band, or a businessman with a brilliant idea, they’ve no sooner started to make a buck when there’s a bunch of clones trying to cash in on their achievement. Would it have been any different in Jesus’ time that someone might try to profit by imitating him?”
“Profit how?” Lela asked.
“Lots of ways. Jesus attracted a lot of attention, respect, and awe from his followers. He also attracted crowds, and gifts of alms and money, and was accommodated with food and lodging most places he went. Those are pretty tempting rewards to an impersonator.”
Fonzi added with a smile, “In other words, he was a magnet for attention. No doubt women hit on him too. He probably resisted the groupies, but all that attention and reward is a pretty enticing cocktail for a con artist.”
Fonzi paused a second before going on. “And it would have been easy to carry out a deception. Travel in the Holy Land back then was done by donkey or horse or cart, or in most cases, by foot. Roads were bad, and it took an eternity to reach anywhere and news spread slowly. No TV, no radio, no newspapers.”
Jack said, “Even Judas’s short journey along the coast from Caesarea to Dora, a distance of about ten miles, could have taken half a day. How many people would have known what Jesus looked like in a town where he’d never visited?”
Fonzi nodded. “Exactly. In those days nobody carried IDs. If someone shows up and announces that he’s Jesus the Nazarene, there’s a good chance folks are going to believe him.”
Fonzi pointed the laser’s red dot to underscore a portion of screen text. “Know what else is important? A couple of things appear to lend credibility to this text. The Chosen of God are the Essenes—they alone liked to refer to themselves by that name. And the mention of Judas Iscariot in an Essene document makes sense. The Essenes were known to be Zealots—fanatics if you like. The word
“What?”
“I’ve always found it incredible in the Bible that Judas has no valid motive to betray Jesus. Okay, he gets his thirty pieces of silver, but the money means nothing to him. He betrays Jesus because he betrays Jesus, and there’s absolutely no good reason for his treachery. Judas always claims to be totally loyal to Jesus, so scholars might say that the betrayal was simply to fulfil a prophecy. But to me, that’s bull, a total cop-out. Here, the text tells us that Judas’s betrayal had a genuine motive. A con man was guilty of identity theft. Judas betrayed him to protect the real Jesus. The motive makes sense of a betrayal that up until now is often seen as a complete mystery. That’s mega.”
Lela said, “What are you trying to imply?”
It was Jack who answered. “I think what Fonzi means is that if the text could be verified it could throw the Bible into doubt.”
Fonzi stabbed a finger on the desk. “Exactly. Scripture records only one Jesus the Nazarene. Now we have two. And two betrayals by the same disciple. Two trials in two different Roman provinces. Two sentences of death by different prosecutors, and two crucifixions. We’re muddying the waters, creating a huge mystery that raises enormous questions.
“All that aside, even the message of the real Jesus the Nazarene forbidding the gathering of riches is of colossal significance. That he believed man should divest himself of all excessive possessions for the benefit of the poor, the ill, and the needy. There are churches out there that have accumulated vast wealth, and I’m not just talking about Rome. Still others encourage their followers to accumulate riches. This is going to blow a lot of their so-called values out of the water. This is dynamite.”
Jack blew out a breath. “Is there
“Are you kidding? I’ll bet my baguettes on it.” Fonzi replaced his glasses, his excitement rising. “And it’s about to get even more explosive. This last part is guaranteed to blow both your minds.”
100
Fonzi poised his fingers over the keyboard. “Question: what’s the bedrock on which Christianity is built?”
Lela raised her eyes. “Don’t look at me, I’m Jewish.”
“Jack?”
“This is starting to sound like a quiz show.”
Fonzi smiled. “It’s a question most Sunday schoolers could answer. What’s the
“I can think of several. For one, a belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God.”
“Sure. But I’m talking about something even more fundamental, which supports that belief.”
Jack considered. “The resurrection? Jesus had to have been the son of God if he was raised from the dead.”
